Arthur e



(No Model.)

A. E. JOHNSTONE. FLASH LIGHT APPARATUS.

No. 603,332` PatentedMay 3, V1898.

NI 4' I E wie? nl Oi a 1'" i l wfx WITNESSE INVENTOR:

UNITED vSTATES PATENT @ritten ARTHUR E. JoHNsToNE, oF Nnw YORK, N. Y.

FLASvH-LIG HT APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent No. 603,332, dated May 3,1898.

Application filed December 29, 1896. Serial No. 617,420. (No model.)

To all whom t may con/cern.-

Be it known that I,- ARTHUR E. J oHNsToNE, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain, and a resident of New York city, in the county of NewYork and State of New York,`have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Flash-Light Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification. v

This invention relates to means for igniting combustible compounds,particularly such as are commonly employed 'in flash-light photography.

The main object of the invention is to ignite such compounds fromunderneath, thus avoiding some of the objections hitherto'ob-r tainingto the use of the f flash-light. Y Thus it is desirable that theigniters should remain clean and hot and that the igniters should not beoxidized. Inasmuch as the igniters are commonly made of platinum, whichoxidizes in the presence of carbon, considerable annoyance anddifficulty from this source have been experienced with those forms o fapparatusin which the needles or igniters strike from above, as theigniters are then in the flashing mixture.

Another object is to keep the apparatus free fromash or smut formed bythe combustion of the flash-light compound. With the igniters strikingfrom above it is practically impossible to keep the apparatus,particularly lthe .igniters and their carriers, sufliciently free fromsmut or ashes and oxidation to have a reliable apparatus.k Any ashes orsmut or oxidation on the igniters impairs their efficiency as conveyersof heat to the vcompound to be flashed.

Other objects will hereinafter appear more at large.

To these ends the invention includes the combination of a foraminousholder for the ignitible compound, a source Vof heat, one or moreupwardly-striking igniters, vand mech- ,anism'for'moving the igniter (origniters) to and fro between said source of heat and said compound.

The invention also includes the combinabottom of said holder, one ormore upwardly- .striking igniters, a source of heat, and mech anism formoving` said igniter (or igniters) to and fro between said source ofheat and said perforation to the compound; and the invention alsoincludes other combinations, as will hereinafter be more fully pointedout. j

The preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, forming part hereof, in which- Figure l is a plan view of theapparatus. Fig, 2 is a vertical sectional view on the plane indicated'inFig. 1 by the line 2 2. Fig. 3 is a similar View upon the planeindicated in Fig. l by the line 3 3. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinalview of one end of the holder upon the plane indicated in Fig. 1 by thelines44. i

In the drawings the referencenumeral 3indicates an open-ended trough forholding the ignitible compound.

The numeral 4 indicates clips pivoted inside the trough 3 to the sidesthereof, as at 5. The said clips are pressed upwardly at their vouterends by suitable springs, as flat or leaf I prefer to have this paper orfabric 8 of a reproof nature, since it may then be used over and overto. protect the holder 3 from the ash or smut made by the combustion ofthe ignitible compound.

The paper or fabric 8 may be removed at any ,Y timefrom the trough,carrying with it the ash or smut, and be replaced by'a fresh one.

f For the purpose of igniting the compound from the bottom I employmovable igniters 10, which are normally held in a suitable iiame orother heater and are projected through the slot or AperforationsV 7 inthe bottom of the holder, where lthey pierce the paper or fabric 8 andpass into the ignitible compound, as powder 9, and ignite the same. Iprefer to have a series of these igniters 10 and to place them upon thepivoted arms 11. These arms 11 have a common axis of motion, as theshaft 12, which is journaled in lugs 13, which project from the trough3, or the shaft may be centered at its extremities, as will be readilyunderstood. The arms 11 are preferably provided with enlargements orheads 1t at their free extremities for the purpose of storing heat tokeep the needle-like igniters 10 sufiicien tly hot. The needles origniters 10 may be integral with these heads; but I prefer to have theigniters of some neutral metal, as platinum, and attach them to the saidheads in any suitable way. The shaft 12 is provided with a pin or stop16, which is carried by a collar 17, loose upon and adjustably fixed tothe shaft 12 by the set-screw 1S, which passes through the collar 17 andbears against the shaft. This stop 16 coacts with one of the lugs 13 tolimit the throw of the shaft in one direction. A spring 15,which isloosely coiled about shaft 12, has one end caught under one of the lugs13 and the other end under one of the arms 11 and serves to hold thestop 16 against the corresponding lug 13. The arms 11 may be adjustablyor otherwise attached to the shaft 12. Any suitable mechanism may beemployed to rock the shaft 12 for the purpose of throwing the needles origniters 10 from the flame 2 through the perforations 7 to ignite thecomposition, as powder 9. (See the dotted lines in Fig. The preferredmeans of so moving the igniters is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, inwhich a cylinder 19, open at one end and closed at the other, is fixedto a lug or ear 2O of the trough 3, preferably at the center thereof.IVithin the cylinder 19 is a piston 21, which is connected with theshaft 12, above named, by means of the piston-rod 22, a flexible wire,cord, or chain 23, fast to the rod 22, and a pulley 2t on the shaft 12,to which pulley the ligament 23 is made fast, as at 25. The piston-rod22 is fast to the piston 21 and passes through a hole in the closed endof the cylinder 19. A pipe 26 is screwed into a perforation in the endof the fixed cylinder 19. The reference 27 indicates a rubber tubeconnecting the pipe 26 with a hollow rubber hand-bulb, such as commonlyemployed by photographers for operatin g the air-engine of the shutterapparatus of the camera. The spring 15, shaft 12, pulley 24, ligament23, rod 22, and piston 21 are so disposed relatively to each other thatwhen the piston 21 is forced to the right in Fig. 2 the shaft 12 isrotated against the force of spring 15, and the igniters 10 are thrownfrom the positions indicated in full lines in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 to theposition indicated in dotted lines in the last-named figure, and theignitible composition 6 is dashed. In order to prevent undue noise andshock, l prefer to place a strip of sound-deadening material 2S on theunder side of the trough 3 in such position that the weights 1t willstrike against the same, as indicated in Fig. 3. The said sounddeadeningmaterial is provided with perforations which register with theperforations 7 hereinbefore named. I also prefer to employ a bufferwhich shall come into action just previous to the time that the heads 14strike the sound-deadener 28. This buffer is conveniently made in theform of a llat or leaf spring 2f), which is rigid with and oarried by asleeve 30, adjustably attached to one end of the shaft 12, as byset-screw 31. The air-engine shown in the drawings and hereinbeforedescribed is preferably operated from the same hollow rubber hand-bulbemployed for operating the air-en gine of the shutter of the camera, andin order that the shutter maybe opened before the light is flashed Imake the cylinder of the air-engine of the flash-light apparatus oflarger internal diameter than the like diameter of the airengine of theshutter. I also make the tubes 26 27 of smaller internal diameter thanthe like diameter of the tube connecting the airbulb with the air-engineof the shutter. It follows from this construction that the shutter isopened before the powder i) is ignited by the needles 10.

The numeral 2 marks a projection on the under side of the trough 3,which screws upon a standard 1. This standard is provided with a shelffor carrying the spirit-lamp or other means employed for heating theigniters 16 and is preferably adjustable in a vertical directionrelatively to a tripod or the like commonly employed in photographicgalleries for the head-rests for sitters, as will be readily understood.

The collar 24( above named is preferably at,- tached to the shaft 12 inan adjustable manner, as by the set-screw 32. This adjustable connectionof the collar with the shaft permits of the taking up of any stretchingof the ligament 23.

It will be observed that the throw of the igniters 10 is more thanninety degrees. This great throw is permitted by the nature of themechanism shown for projecting or throwing the said igniters. It isadvantageous to get the source of heat as far from the ignitiblecompound as possible, and this is permitted by the aforesaid mechanism.

Vhile the apparatus shown in the draw ings is intended for use in ahorizontal position, it is also capable of use in other positions, asthe vertical.

I remark that an advantage in having the igniters strike upwardly isthat they have a quicker returning action and that they are less liableto catch in or become entangled with clothing, draperies, dac. thanwhere they are arranged above the composition-holder.

Instead of having the paper or fabric 8 of a iireproof nature it isobvious that the same may be of an inflammable nature and so furnish theflash-light or ignitible compound, thus dispensing with the powder orother compound 9, indicated in the drawings.

The holder, instead of being of asolid form of metal, may be formed ofpaper or fabric,

IOO

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' and above described.

What is claimed is- 1. In an igniting apparatus, the combination of aperforated holder for the ignitible compound, kone or moremovableigniters arranged to strike upwardly from below the holder, andmechanism for operating said igniters, substantially as described.

2. In an igniting apparatus, the combination of the trough or holderprovided with the through-slot or perforations in the bottom thereof,the up'wardly-strikingk igniters 10, arranged below the holder, andmechanism for operating saidigniters, substantially as described. v

3. 'In an igniting apparatus, the combination of the holder providedwith the throughslot or perforations in the bottom thereof, theupwardly-strikin g igniters pi voted below and to one side of theholder, and mechanism for operating said igniters, substantially asdescribed.

. 4. In an igniting apparatus, the lcombination of the perforated`holder for the compound, the igniter 10, an air-engine, the shaft l2,the pulley 24 on said-shaft, the ligament connecting said pulley withthe rod of the air-engine, the spring 15, and connections between saidshaft and said ignitersubst-an'- tially as described.

5. In an igniting apparatus, the combination of the perforated holderfor the compound, the igniter 10, an air-engine for operating saidigniter, and mechanism having an adjustable member for connecting saidengine and said igniter l0, substantially as described.

6. In an igniting apparatus, the combination of the perforated holderfor the compound, the pivoted upwardly-striking igniter, an air-engineand connections for causing the igniter to strike upwardly, and aretractingspring for the igniter, substantially as described.

A '7. In an igniting apparatus, the combination of the foraminous holderfor the compound, the rock-shaft 12 below and to one side of the holder,the igniters carried by said shaft and arranged to move through morethan ninety degrees, an air-engine and connections for moving theigniters upwardly, and a retracting-spring, substantially as described.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and rState of NewYork, this 18th day of December, A. D. 1896. Y

ARTHUR E. JOHNSTONE. f

Witnesses: Y

RICHARD -W. BARKLEY, CHAs. A. BRODEK.

